From the Second World War to bookstores: the story of Margot Duhalde, Chilean aviation pioneer

From World War II to bookstores: The story of Margot Duhalde, pioneer of Chilean aviation At the age of seven or eight, Hugo Riquelme, a young boy with a fascination for aviation, stumbled upon the story of Margot Duhalde Sotomayor while reading magazines on air force history. As the son of a former official with the Chilean Air Force (FACH), aviation was already part of his world. But it was this particular tale, of a woman who had flown during the Second World War, that captured his imagination. He recalls how he asked his father whether women could fly, only to be told they couldn’t. Though there were women in the organization, mostly in health roles, the image of a female pilot flying warplanes remained etched in his mind. This moment inspired him to write a novel rather than a biography. Now 41 years old and established as a writer, Riquelme has turned that childhood curiosity into El cielo me llama (Suma), a fast-paced novel chronicling the life of Margot Duhalde. His other works include Terror en Cerro Moreno, which was awarded the International Latino Book Award (ILBA) in 2020 for Best Novel Adventure or Drama. In 2021, he received an Honorable Mention from ILBA in the category Best Novel Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Spanish for La ventana de Olduvai. These accolades reflect his growing reputation as a storyteller with a keen eye for historical detail and human emotion. Duhalde’s story begins in Río Bueno in 1920. Her journey takes readers through some of the most turbulent years of the Second World War. As a volunteer, she joined forces with other Latin Americans to fight alongside the Allied powers, first under the Free French Forces and later within the British Royal Air Force (RAF). She served in the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), a critical unit responsible for transporting and moving aircraft between factories, repair shops, and operational bases. Remarkably, she performed these duties without knowing English. Her contributions during the war remain largely unknown outside of niche circles, yet her legacy continues to inspire. Interwoven with her wartime experiences are poignant flashbacks to her early life in Río Bueno and Osorno. These moments reveal the origins of her indomitable spirit, her unwavering passion for flight, and her ongoing struggle against gender norms and physical limitations of her time. One such memory involves a teacher who dismissed her potential as a writer at 17. This experience resonated deeply with Riquelme, who saw in it a reflection of the challenges faced by many individuals striving to break boundaries. It motivated him to explore the humanity behind the legend, delving into the emotional and personal dimensions of Duhalde’s life. Riquelme admits that while Duhalde’s story was not entirely unfamiliar to him, he felt there was still room to uncover deeper layers of her character. He credits several articles published in magazines and the 2006 autobiography released by the Arturo Merino Benítez Foundation for providing additional insight. However, it wasn’t until the 2023 release of a commemorative banknote featuring Duhalde that he realized how little many people knew about this remarkable Chilean woman. This realization fueled his desire to bring her story to life through fiction, allowing readers to connect with her on a more intimate level. Through El cielo me llama, Riquelme offers a nuanced portrayal of a woman who defied expectations and left an enduring mark on both aviation history and national identity. His work highlights the importance of recognizing individual stories beyond the myth-making often associated with historical figures. By fictionalizing Duhalde’s life, he invites readers to see her not just as a symbol of achievement, but as a complex, relatable human being whose struggles and triumphs continue to resonate today.